Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Troops of the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police on Sunday apprehended two persons suspected of delivering high-powered firearms to New People’s Army (NPA) combatants in T’boli town, this province.

PSupt Jemuel Siason, acting T’boli police chief, said recovered from the suspects were 4 AK-47 rifles, 15 long magazines loaded with ammunitions, 326 live ammunitions for AK-47 and 106 ammunitions for M-14 rifles

Also in their possession were subversive documents, including an assault plan of a target area where a police detachment is located.

Siason pointed out, the rebels could possibly have planned to attack an armory.

“Based on intelligence reports the suspects, although living in Tulunan, North Cotabato and Norala, this province, originated from Compostela Valley area,” Siason said.

He alleged, still based on gathered intelligence information, the two were members of the NPA’s Regionwide Area Committee.

In a separate report, Capt. William Rodriguez, spokesperson of the 1002nd Brigade, recounted that elements of the 27th Infantry Battalion, 4th Maneuver Company of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA)-12 acted upon an intelligence report that said NPA operatives will be transporting firearms from Tulunan, North Cotabato.

An unnamed reliable source, he said, indicated that a red Mitsubishi Lancer with plate number PGF 172 will be used for this purpose.

At around 4:00 p.m. the subject vehicle passed by aforesaid checkpoint but did not stop despite being flagged-down by the law enforcers.

Government troops, onboard military and PNP vehicles, immediately conducted pursuit operations and successfully apprehended said vehicle at Barangay Sinolon, T’boli, South Cotabato after a 5-minute car chase, Rodriguez said.

On March 20, this year, at least 15 NPA combatants attacked a community police assistance center (COMPAC) sa Barangay Sinolon. Two civilians and a police officer were wounded in the incident.
Lieutenant Col. Shalimar Imperial, commander of the 27th Infantry Battalion, said that the remaining NPAs in T’boli and Lake Sebu, mostly coming from other provinces, are already desperate of their failed recruitment effort in the area.

He said that the NPAs already resorted to using the lure to handle high-powered weapons to recruit.

He added the rebel group is now focusing on the members of the indigenous community in far-flung areas, particularly the out-of-school youth.

Imperial urged the NPAs to return to the folds of the law and accept the amnesty program of the government so that genuine peace and stability will finally reign in these far-flung areas.

On September 16, 19 NPA surrenderees received initial cash assistance amounting to P10,000 each from the Provincial Government of South Cotabato and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Livelihood assistance worth P50,000 each was already handed down by OPAPP to the provincial LGU and will soon be released to the former rebels once they have already undergone the required livelihood training this month of November to prepare them to be integrated to the mainstream of society.

Some 101 household members of the indigenous people of the Tribu Bukidnon in Barangay San Agustin, Isabela town abandoned the armed struggle and vowed to become a peaceful community.

Tribe members pledged, October 31, as part of the Indigenous People’s Month celebration to exercise non-violence in their community as IP Tribal Chieftain Jacinto Dadlis turned over the red flag of the New People’s Army to Governor Alfredo Mara?on Jr.

At the turn-over, Daldis expressed they do not seek violence anymore instead, they want to go on with their lives practicing and enriching their culture and tradition as a tribe.

“We trust and lift our hope to the government that’s why I decided to turn over the flag instead of burning it,” Daldis said in the dialect.

The IPs acknowledged the significant role of the Bayanihan Teams in the area as an eye-opener.

A tribe member said that through the soldiers’ constant dialogue, visibility, and efforts in listening and resolving their issues, coupled with the delivery of basic services, all they realized the flawed ideology inculcated by the New People’s Army to them.

“There is indeed a government; we were used and blinded” shared one of the IPs whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Meanwhile, Mara?on expressed his appreciation for the Tribu Bukidnon for deciding to return in the mainstream.

In return, the provincial government offered for the construction of Grades 1 and 2 Public Classroom, construction of public road for Sitio Mahupaho, Hanging Bridges crossing the three (3) rivers and Water pipe needed for four villages linking from one house to another.

303rd Infantry Brigade Commander, Col. Jon N. Aying said that in celebrating and commemorating the Indigenous People’s Month, we remember the richness of our ancestors’ culture and tradition.

“This is like going back to our roots and that is our moral values. We, in the military are optimistic that in some areas of the Province the state of normalcy is possible to achieve”

Aying said.Mara?on urged the IPs to continue their way of living nurturing their ancestral domain culture.

With super typhoon "Yolanda" forecast to enter the Philippine
territory Thursday morning, the Eastern Mindanao Command announced it has place
all its its air and sea assets on alert for possible disaster relief rescue
operations.

Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have abducted two employees of a telecommunications company in the southern Philippines, the latest captives by a ransom-seeking group that still holds other hostages, including two European tourists, officials said Wednesday.

Marine Col. Jose Cenabre said three men were traveling on motorcycles after inspecting a cellphone transmission facility when they were stopped by about 10 Abu Sayyaf gunmen Tuesday in mountainous Patikul town in Sulu province.

One of the three managed to escape while they were being dragged into the jungle.

Marines looking for the gunmen and their victims later took into custody a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant for questioning, Cenabre said by telephone from Sulu, a predominantly Muslim province about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila.

Government troops normally provide security for workers involved in infrastructure projects, but the abducted men did not ask for military escorts, he said.

Although weakened by years of military setbacks, the Abu Sayyaf group remains a security threat and holds several hostages, including two European birdwatchers and a Jordanian journalist.

Such abductions are far fewer today than the numerous kidnappings that terrorized Sulu and outlying provinces in the early 2000s.

Eleven members of the New People’s Army Yunit Militia who gave themselves up to the Army’ 11th Infantry Battalion, and surrendered 17 firearms as well explosives, are expected to receive P100,000 this month, its Civil Military Operations officer, 1Lt. Von Ryan Gomez, said yesterday.

Eight of the 11 former rebels who are residents of Brgy. Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla surrendered 13 firearms, that included seven 357 magnum revolvers, a .45 caliber pistol, .38 caliber revolver, four shotguns, 41 live ammunition and three magazines of .45 caliber pistols.

Two other former rebels from Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, also surrendered two M72 anti-tank weapons, 12 rifle grenades and 60mm mortar ammunition, military records show.

Their surrender came several days after a rebel amazon, whose identity is also being withheld by the military, surrendered M-16 and M-14 rifles to the 11thInfantry Battalion. Under the AFP Guns for Peace Program. She received P90,500 cash in exchange for the high-powered firearms she surrendered.

Gomez said the government is paying P45,000 to P60,000 for M-16 or M-14 rifles,and P1,000 to P5,000 for low-powered firearms.

He added that the AFP Guns for Peace Program played a significant role in encouraging rebels to surrender their hidden guns.

Last week, three more members of the NPA Yunit Militia in Isabela, Negros Occidental, received P5,000 for surrendering four homemade firearms to the 11th Infantry Battalion.

From the Visayan Daily Star (Nov 6): Negrense Army general peacemaker in Mindanao

Lt. Gen., Rey Ardo, who is retiring from the military service on Nov. 9, was instrumental in the signing of the framework agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine government.

Ardo, who is from Fabrica, Sagay City, ends on Saturday more than 35 years of military service, as commanding general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command.

Ardo was reportedly popular in the Central Mindanao provinces for his community projects supporting the GPH-MILF talks, while serving as chairperson of the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) coordinating committee for the cessation of hostilities between the AFP and MILF, and later as commanding general of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“The Mindanao problem is best addressed through diplomatic, `convergence-type resolution,’ an approach that has to involve all sectors. It cannot be won by guns and bullets alone,” Ardo said.

The 6ID supervises three Army infantry brigades in Central Mindanao, including that of the 602nd Infantry Brigade headed by Brig. Gen. Ademar Tomaro, that is stationed in Carmen, North Cotabato.

Tomaro, who is from Brgy. Tapi, Kabankalan City, also helped Ardo in the realization of the MILF-GRP framework agreement, military records also show.

Ardo said the nagging Moro issue is best resolved through "convergence" of diplomatic efforts by local sectors, leaders of Moro fronts, the political communities and local government units in Moro-dominated areas.

Local leaders and peace activists from Mindanao asked Malacañang to replace Ardo with an officer who has a record of peace-building in communities covered by the 1997 ceasefire accord between the government and the MILF.

Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, commander of the AFP Western Command, has been named as his successor. Both are members of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1981.

Ardo, who commands the entire AFP units in Western Mindanao, called on the 6ID soldiers to continue pursuing peace while resolving security problems in Moro areas through traditional conflict-resolution practices.

On Monday, President Benigno Aquino III conferred on Ardo a Distinguished Service Star, in recognition of his exemplary leadership in handling the Zamboanga crisis last month.

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 6): DND chief hopeful that impasse in IRP talks will be resolved

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Wednesday
admitted that there is an impasse between the Philippine and American panels'
ongoing talks regarding the Framework Agreement for the Increased Rotational
Presence (IRP) but expressed confidence that the issue will be resolved.

"I don't think the talks will collapse, I am very optimistic that the
issue will be resolved," he added.

The issue Gazmin was referring to was the fact that the US panel wants to limit the Philippines
access to the temporary facilities that the Americans will construct in the
country once the IRP is signed or ratified.

The Philippine side wants equal access.

He added that this matter is currently under negotiation as all aspects of
the IRP should be beneficial to the country in the long run.

"Eventually, (we are hoping) that both parties will come to an
understanding," Gazmin stressed.

American and Filipino negotiators, on the fourth round of talks for the
Framework Agreement on the Increased Rotational Presence (IRP), have admitted
to encountering some "gaps" during the course of their two-day
meeting in Manila
last Oct 1 and 2.

The Philippine Army (PA) on Wednesday announced that the five soldiers
involved in a looting incident in ZamboangaCity during the height of
the 20-day crisis are still detained and under investigation.

The five are now being held at the ArmyCustodialCenter
at PA headquarters in FortBonifacio, Taguig.

"Though the PA is serious in employing due sanctions and punishment to
erring personnel, it still believes that the five Army personnel are still
entitled to due process and the benefit of a fair investigation," Army
deputy public affairs chief Capt. Anthony Bacus said.

At present, the investigating team is in the process of interviewing
witnesses before it can conclude the investigation and determine the
culpability of the accused soldiers.

Bacus added that it shall also seek legal opinion from the Army’s Judge
Advocate General Office.

"If there exists probable cause that would warrant the filing of
administrative cases against the five, then the case shall be referred to the
General Court Martial," he stressed.

As a matter of procedure and for security reasons, the PA decided not to
disclose yet the names of the accused.

"The PA maintains that it would not tolerate any acts perpetrated by
its personnel that will affect the integrity and reputation of the entire
institution. If proven guilty, the accused shall be dealt with proper sanction
accordingly," Bacus pointed out.

Guided by the Army
Transformation Road map, the PA continues to
implement institutional changes to ensure, among others, discipline among the
troops.

One of the country’s most wanted men nabbed by the operatives of Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(CIDG-ARMM) was flown to Manila
on Wednesday following his presentation before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch
23 here.

After nearly a century of cozy defense partnership, the United States and its former colony the Philippines are apparently finding it’s not that easy to update the terms of endearment as they negotiate an accord expanding US access to the former host of its largest military bases in Asia.

Choice of word or language, equal benefits, and equal access are among the difficult hurdles facing Philippine and United States panels that have thus far met four times, with a fifth meeting still with an unknown schedule.

The panels are working to craft a framework agreement that would give American forces greater access to Philippine military facilities, a notion that has riled nationalists but is seen to be supported by pragmatists who see the US as still the best buffer against perceived Chinese aggression in the region. They reckon that with the Philippine defense modernization program still in fits and starts, an arrangement with the lone superpower could provide some security blanket, literally.

“It is at the stage where there is negotiation. So, it’s a give and take process. Right now, we have not agreed on the issues raised which we call the language. Dun pa lang ay may mga problema na ng konti," Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said in an interview.

Both panels had already met four times since negotiations started last August in the Philippines. The chair of the Philippine panel, Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, said “Wala pang definite date,” when asked about the fifth meeting.
Batino said negotiations were concentrated “on some core provisions” to ensure the country will not be at a disadvantage.

The other members of the panel are Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta, Defense Assistant Secretary Raymond Jose, and Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan.

Heading the US panel is Eric John, a senior negotiator for Military Agreements of the State Department who was also among the negotiators in the formulation of the PH-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Gazmin dismissed speculations the negotiation might collapse because of some disagreements on certain proposed provisions.

“There are indeed issues they want but which we don’t. Certain things we want but which they reject. We will keep talking till we reach an agreement,” Gazmin said. “I don’t think it will collapse. I am very optimistic na mare-resolve din yung mga issues. Siyempre, medyo mabigat sa umpisa but eventually magkakaroon ng prosesong magkakaintidihan ‘yan. Kaya nga nine-negotiate natin e. Everything should be beneficial to the Philippines, that is the major idea,” he added.

The idea of giving greater access to American forces into Philippine soil cropped up because of the expanding presence of Chinese vessels in Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)--in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough Shoal) in Masinloc, Zambales and Ayungin Reef in Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan.

A group of gunmen seized two Filipino
contractors working for Globe Telecom in the southern Philippines,
police said Wednesday.

Police said an operation was launched to search for technician Nasri Abubakar,
40, and broadband antenna installer Dennis Aluba, 30, who were both abducted in
the village of Latih in Sulu’s Patikul town. A third
contractor, Aquino Hadjula, escaped abduction and reported the incident to a
marine base in the town."We are still searching for the victims and we still don’t know what is
the motive behind the abduction or whether the Abu Sayyaf was involved in
this," Senior Superintendent Abraham Orbita, the provincial police chief,
told regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.He said the victims - of QTel Company based in ZamboangaCity
- were travelling on a motorcycle when gunmen stopped them. Hadjula escaped on
another motorcycle while gunmen were firing on him.

It was unknown why soldiers failed to detect the presence of gunmen in the
village. There was no immediate statement from the town mayor Kabir Hayudini
about the latest abduction.

Yoly Crisanto, head for Globe Corporate Communications, said the incident was
very unfortunate.

She said the two victims are technical staff of QTel which was tapped by Nippon
Electric Company to set-up network transmission requirement in the area as
contractor of Globe.

"We have assisted our sub-contractor QTel in reporting the incident to the
military. Globe will cooperate fully with the authorities as necessary. We
empathize with the families of the victims and we are hopeful for their safe
recovery," Crisanto said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Just last month, suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen also seized a hardware store
owner, Archie Hablo, in Patikul town. The 29-year old Hablo, whose family owns
the Sincere Enterprises in Jolo town, was travelling on a motorcycle with his
brother Miko when gunmen, who were in a jeep, blocked their path and seized the
businessman.

Hablo’s brother managed to run and escape and reported the incident to
authorities.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding several Filipinos and foreigners kidnapped in
Tawi-Tawi province and Sulu. The Abu Sayyaf rebels have been largely blamed for
many ransom kidnappings in the southern region.

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Nov 6): False text messages trigger panic in Zamboanga schoolFrantic parents rushed Wednesday to a school to fetch their children after
receiving text messages alleging that a new fighting between security and rebel
forces erupted in ZamboangaCity in southern Philippines.

The text scare disrupted classes
in Talon-Talon village. School officials tried to calm down the children as
parents panicked by the reports which turned out false.

The text message said the
fighting broke out in the neighboring village of Mampang
where an oxygen explosion earlier killed a worker.

One woman also rushed to the
school to get her child and told the other about the fighting which triggered
panic among other parents.

“The report is negative. There
is no fighting and there is no truth to the report,” policeman PO2 Nurail Fajal
told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said the only incident in
Mampang was the accidental explosion of an oxygen cylinder which killed one
worker. “That’s the only report we have in Mampang where one person was killed
(in the oxygen cylinder blast),” he said.

Authorities have previously
warned the public against spreading unverified text messages which can cause
panic and fear. This after three weeks of fighting between troops and Moro
National Liberation Front rebels in September left over 400 people dead and
wounded.